When we say rats, we aren’t uttering a mild swear word or expletive. But it certainly would be appropriate given what seems to be North Texas’ ongoing battle with rodents.
Blame the pandemic for what appears to be an increase in rat sightings in residential neighborhoods. With less food waste available in restaurant dumpsters, rats are fleeing more often to residential areas for food, water and shelter. And, if you hoped that the cold snap that left you shivering and without electricity would thin out the rat population, think again. That noise in the attic may be — guess who? After all, they didn’t have the option of escaping to Cancún, either.
Rats are fairly common in North Texas, but thankfully, we’re not Chicago, which pest control expert Orkin last year named as the most rat-infested metropolis for the sixth consecutive year.
Nonetheless, the combination of people working at home, endless new construction and, now, the fallout from widespread power loss has increased sightings in North Texas. And the sightings take all forms.
The panicked staredown with a brazen rat who found a way inside through vents or an opening you thought a bug couldn’t navigate. Or the noisy nightly rat race in your attic.
With rats comes frustration and home remedy recommendations like baiting with peanut butter, trapping with rat glue — bet you never knew that existed — to stuffing balled up steel wool into crevices.
Unfortunately, rats are a lot like an iceberg. You see one but who knows how many others are lurking out of sight. Just know that they have relatives who don’t observe housing codes. And don’t expect much help from city governments. Cities leave this sort of pest control on private property to local commercial exterminators.
Still, there are things you can do in addition to seeking professional help. Clear away brush, including tree branches that can become a highway to the attic. Don’t overfill trash bins so the top doesn’t shut. And don’t store food where rats could get to it. They are resilient, resourceful, relentless and our neighborhood challenge.
Oh rats!!!
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